The present invention relates to an apparatus for image formation by a process of electrophotographic image formation. The apparatus is fitted with a removable box for containing recovered waste toner.
An apparatus for electrophotographic image formation forms an image on a recording medium through a charging step, an exposure step, a developing step, a transfer step, and a fixing step. In the developing step, the apparatus converts an electrostatic latent image on its electrostatic latent image carrier into a toner image, which is visible. In the transfer step, the apparatus transfers the toner image to a recording medium. After the transfer step, an amount of toner remains on the image carrier. The remaining toner is removed from the image carrier by the cleaning unit of the apparatus and then recovered as waste toner into the waste toner box of the apparatus.
The waste toner box of a conventional apparatus for image formation occupies a small volume in the apparatus and is smaller in capacity than 1 kg. Accordingly, a user can easily take the waste toner box out of the apparatus when the box is full of waste toner.
In recent years, as disclosed in JP-2001-324905A, the processing speed of apparatus for image formation has been higher, so that the amount of waste toner discharged from it per unit time has increased. As a result, the capacity of the waste toner boxes of the apparatus has been increased greatly to about 10 kg. This has restrained the shortening of the waste toner box replacement cycles.
The increased capacity of a waste toner box results in increased weight of the box full of waste toner, so that it is not easy to take out the box in order to replace it. If it is not easy to take out the waste toner box, it may fall down when taken out. This may scatter the toner in the waste toner box, further lowering the workability during the replacement of the box.